


Kiss It Better

by fallingjustanotherwaytofly



Series: Kisses, Apologies, and Everything In Between. [1]
Category: Never Understand, Never Understand (Webcomic), Never Understand manga, Out of Control manga, 이해불능 | Out of Control (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Childhood Friends, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Making Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-21 15:38:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9555332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingjustanotherwaytofly/pseuds/fallingjustanotherwaytofly
Summary: “Still, no matter how hard I try to hate you I just can't. And I know that deep down you don’t really hate me either. If you did you wouldn’t still be listening to me. I don’t think it’s possible for old best friends to truly hate each other. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Pathetic, right?"





	1. "I’m all yours. I’ll do anything you tell me to do."

**Author's Note:**

> \---Y--- or ---D--- tells whose (((thoughts))) are in the paragraph and to change the point of view between characters.  
> Hope that makes sense! If not then good luck!

\---Y---

Yumin hid behind a wall and watched as Dohoon taunted Jaerim. Dohoon, being far taller and stronger than Jaerim, easily held the petition papers in one hand while keeping Jaerim away with the other. Jaerim struggled to fight back while Dohoon and his friends from the broadcasting department laughed.

(((And all I can do is stand here and watch Jaerim get bullied because i’m too scared to defend him…))) Yumin thought to himself, (((Why can’t Dohoon just leave him alone? It’s my club, Jaerim is just trying to help…)))

He was pulled from his thoughts when his eyes locked with Dohoon. 

Dohoon gave Yumin a smirk. 

“I said-” Dohoon stuck his foot out in front of Jaerim purposely causing him to trip but caught him before he fell, “Watch out! Why did you fall?”

Both Yumin and Jaerim looked at Dohoon, confused.

“There! You should be careful.”

(((Dohoon what are you-)))

“If you’re gonna fall down,” Dohoon said, pressing his hand to Jaerim’s chest, giving him a push and causing him fall back, landing painfully on his elbow, “You should fall properly.” Dohoon finished, diverting his gaze from Jaerim to Yumin. Dohoon looked at Yumin point blank, “Don’t you think?” 

Yumin turned away, frightened.

(((I’m such a coward… I can’t do anything to stop him…))) 

A few seconds later everything went quiet and Yumin felt like he could breath again.

(((They’re gone... I wonder if Dohoon went with them… If not he might be-)))

Temporarily forgetting about Jaerim, Yumin headed to the locker room. 

 

\---D---

“Fucking boring!!” Dohoon yelled, tossing his phone aside. Laying down on a bench he stared up at the ceiling and took a puff of his cigarette, thinking about the conversation he had with his friends: 

(((-“Hey Dohoon! Don’t you think we were too hard on him? I think I saw him fall on a rock back there. If someone sees us we’re all dead!”  
-“Yeah, I agree…”  
-“We should stop…” 

“Scared? If you’re fucking scared, quit.”

-“What the fuck did you just say..? Are you mad at something? Watch your mouth man.”

“Ah~ whatever! I wanna be alone right now see you later.”))) 

“Those idiots.” he whispered to himself. As he went to take another puff of his cigarette the locker room door opened.

(((Well if it’s a teacher i’m fucked, he thought))). 

He tilted his head back and-

(((Worse, it’s Yumin)))

 

\---Y---

Yumin’s heart began to race when he shut the door, immediately hearing Dohoon’s voice.

“Ho- wow, you came to me on your own. What’s up?”

(((This is a bad idea…)))

Dohoon smirked, “Did you miss me? Haha-”

(((It’s now or never…)))

“I told you not to bully Jaerim!” Yumin said, interrupting Dohoon. 

(((Here we go…)))

Dohoon’s expression turned sour, “Why should I listen to you?”

“What do you want?” Yumin asked as he began to unbutton his shirt.

Dohoon looked at Yumin, confused, “What?” 

Yumin’s fingers began to shake as he continued unbuttoning his shirt, “Is it me you want? Then i’m all yours. I’ll do anything you tell me to do. So, please don’t bother Jaerim.”

 

\---D---

Dohoon sat up, taking one last puff of his cigarette before dropping it on the ground, and slowly approached Yumin. Dohoon took Yumin’s glasses off, letting them fall to the floor and looked down at the shorter boy. 

(((He’s shaking like crazy, is he really that scared of me?))) 

He roughly grabbed Yumin, startling the boy, and pulled him in for a kiss; but just as they were about to touch Dohoon stopped. 

(((We can’t keep doing this.))) 

 

\---Y---

“What were you expecting?” Dohoon said, releasing his hold on Yumin, “You wanted to do me that badly?”

Yumin’s eyes grew wide with embarrassment.

(((No, no, that’s not why-)))

“No way,” Dohoon raised his arms and took a step back, “I’d never let you have what you want,” silence washing over them as they stared each other down, “bear that in mind.” Dohoon finished, turning away to leave.

(((Stand up for yourself, Yumin.)))

With a sudden burst of confidence Yumin reached out and grabbed Dohoon’s wrist, spinning him around so they were face to face, “NO, YOU BEAR THIS IN MIND!” Yumin screamed. 

Dohoon was stunned by Yumin’s anger.

"YOU CAN TREAT ME LIKE SHIT ALL YOU WANT BUT LEAVE JAERIM ALONE! HE'S NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO YOU! ALL HE'S DOING IS HELPING ME WITH MY OWN PROBLEM! I NEVER ASKED FOR HIM TO GET INVOLVED BUT HE DID! NOT BECAUSE HE PITIED ME BUT BECAUSE HE'S A GREAT GUY AND A GOOD FRIEND, SO JUST BACK THE FUCK OFF!"

That didn’t sit well with Dohoon. 

"A GOOD FRIEND?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THE GUY?! A WEEK?! YOU HARDLY KNOW A SINGLE THING ABOUT HIM AND HERE YOU ARE CALLING HIM YOUR FRIEND! ARE YOU THAT DESPERATE?!" Dohoon shouted back, jealous of how protective Yumin was being over Jaerim. 

"WELL HE'S A LOT BETTER OF A FRIEND THAN YOU ARE! ALL YOU DO IS MAKE ME FEEL LIKE SHIT! THAT'S ALL YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS DO! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT A FRIEND IS?! YOU DON’T KNOW THE FIRST THING ABOUT BEING A FRIEND!"

Dohoon grabbed Yumin by the collar, pushing him against a locker, "BULLSHIT! WE WERE BEST FRIENDS FOR YEARS!"

"TILL YOU FUCKED ME OVER!" Yumin retorted, using all his strength to push Dohoon back, pinning him against a locker. He had a vice like grip on Dohoon’s shirt, holding him in place.

"IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS SINCE I LOST MY BEST FRIEND AND IT HASN'T BEEN EASY! I HATE COMING TO SCHOOL! YOUR SAD FUCKING EXCUSE FOR FRIENDS MAKE EVERYDAY HELL FOR ME! AND FOR WHAT? BECAUSE I LIKE COMICS? BECAUSE I'M AN OTAKU? THOSE AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH REASONS TO PUSH ME AROUND! AND YOU, YOU DO NOTHING TO STOP THEM! YOU JUST JOIN IN! HELL YOU’RE THE RINGLEADER! WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME? WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING ME PICK MY BOOKS OFF THE GROUND AFTER SOMEONE KNOCKED THEM OUT OF MY HANDS! DO YOU SEE YOUR OLD SELF IN ME? DO YOU THINK TO YOURSELF “THANK GOD I'M NOT LIKE HIM, HE'S SO WEAK AND PATHETIC. I CAN'T BELIEVE I USED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THAT GUY" AND WALK AWAY? DO YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT HAPPY THAT YOU GOT TO BULLY ME ANOTHER DAY? DOES IT BRING YOU SOME SORT OF SICK PLEASURE TO SEE THE PERSON YOU ONCE CALLED YOUR 'BEST FRIEND' SPEND HIS DAYS BEING MISERABLE?!"

Dohoon stood there, speechless.

Yumin took a deep breath and continued, "The comic club is all I have at this school. Something that I once shared with you I get to share with other people. What’s so wrong with liking comics, huh? If you didn't want to be friends with me back then you should have told me instead of ripping everything to shreds. And for what? So a couple of kids would think you're cool? All you had to do was let me and my friends enjoy our stupid club in peace. That's all you had to do, Dohoon."

The only thing that hurts more than a lie is the cold hard truth.

"SO DON'T TRY AND TELL ME ABOUT FRIENDSHIP EVER AGAIN! FRIENDSHIP ISN'T ABANDONING SOMEONE YOU LOVE FOR A BUNCH OF STRANGERS! FRIENDSHIP IS ABOUT BEING THERE FOR SOMEONE WHEN THINGS GET ROUGH AND THAT'S WHAT JAERIM IS TRYING TO DO FOR ME! I'M THE ONE YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH, NOT HIM! LEAVE HIM ALONE! TAKE IT OUT ON ME! IF YOU WANT TO PUSH SOMEONE THEN PUSH ME! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU FUCKING WANT ME TO DO, JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Yumin released his hold on Dohoon, dropping his head and choking out a sob; Dohoon struggled to hold back tears of his own.

"I want to hate you," whispered Yumin, "I want to hate you so badly but for some reason I can't." leaning forward and gently resting his head on Dohoon’s chest. "When we meet up like this I get so confused. How can you kiss me like you have feelings for me then toss me aside like i’m a piece of trash? How can it be so easy for you to treat me like that?” Yumin balled his hands in Dohoon’s shirt, “Still, no matter how hard I try to hate you I just can't. And I know that deep down you don’t really hate me either. If you did you wouldn’t still be listening to me. I don’t think it’s possible for old best friends to truly hate each other. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part. Pathetic, right?" he chuckled and let go of Dohoon’s shirt, “I know you’re hurting too, Dohoon, stop acting like you aren’t.” 

 

\---D---

Everything Yumin was saying felt like a stab in the gut. 

(((That’s enough already…)))

Dohoon lifted his hand, causing Yumin to close his eyes and flinch.

(((God, look how afraid he is of me…))) 

After a few seconds Dohoon dropped his hand and looked away.

Yumin turned around and re-buttoned his shirt, "I'll do whatever you want, Dohoon. Use me, push me, it doesn’t matter; just please leave Jaerim alone." 

Yumin went to pick his glasses up off the floor but as he reached down Dohoon grabbed his wrist. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Dohoon whispered in Yumin’s ear, "Get out." He let go of Yumin, watching the boy put his glasses on and run out of the locker room. Once Yumin was gone Dohoon slid down to the floor and lit another cigarette. 

(((What have I done..?)))

He's spent everyday for the past four years hating himself for pushing away the person he loves most just so he can seem 'cool'. He changed himself just to fit in with a group of jerks. He has no idea who he is anymore. This isn't who he wants to be and he isn't happy like this. Being with Yumin made him happy, enjoying comics and drawing without the fear of judgment made him happy. If he could go back in time he would never have turned against his friend like that. Every time he sees Yumin hurt it kills him. When they were young Yumin would always cry over little things like a paper cut or falling off the swings, but it was never because of something Dohoon did.

He loves Yumin. 

But he’s disgusted in himself for the way he treats him. Meeting up in the locker room just to fool around; just so he can be close to Yumin and forget about the pain, even if it’s only for a few minutes. It makes him sick. 

(((Just hate me, God damn it. Tell me you hate me so I can let you go, so I can stop holding on to the possibility of you loving me back…)))

 

\---Y---

Yumin ran out of the locker room as fast as he could eventually stopping to catch his breath. After a couple of minutes he started to walk again, wanting to go home and go to bed. He passed by the comic club’s room when the sudden smell of paint stopped him in his tracks. 

(((The picture is already done, the paint should be dry by now so why does it smell-)))

He turned to look at the painting he had slaved over for the cultural festival and froze. 

All of his hard work was ruined, covered in spray painted words:  
"Otaku"   
"GET LOST"   
"Piss off"   
"DIE"   
"WTF" 

(((No…)))

Yumin's eyes clouded with tears, taking a step back he tripped over his own feet and fell to the floor. Lost in his own thoughts he didn't notice Jaerim was there until he felt the boy's arms around him. He could tell Jaerim was yelling at someone but all Yumin could focus on was his ruined picture.

(((Why do they hate me so much..?))) 

Yumin was brought back to reality when Jaerim pulled him up and started walking him down the hallway.

"Are you ok?" Jaerim asked.

"Yeah.."

(((No, i’m not…))) 

 

\---Y---

The next day the student council started on the actual preparations for the cultural festival. Each department was busy with tasks such as decorating, cleaning, or moving posters and boxes around.

Yumin's job was to restore his painting as best he could; Jaerim offering to help of course, and to make up for the vandalism, the broadcasting department had to help the comic department. Yumin was so focused on painting he jumped when someone suddenly sat down next to him. Looking slightly to the side he saw who it was: Dohoon.  
Yumin was too caught up in the moment to hear Jaerim being dragged away.

(((He's being forced to help, that's all... Just focus on painting and everything will be ok…)))

 

\---D---

The two boys sat in silence; neither one knowing what to do.

(((Should I say something first?))) Dohoon thought before noticing Yumin's right hand shaking so badly he had to hold it still with his left. 

(((Why is he still so scared? He should be furious at me, not scared!)))

The sound of a bucket hitting the floor tore Dohoon from his thoughts. 

In a shaky voice Yumin broke the silence, "Here! The bucket." Yumin began to hand Dohoon some supplies, fumbling with them in the process, "The paint and rag.. Here! We can share!" Dohoon watched as Yumin tried his best to stay calm; it was infuriating. 

(((Just hit me already. Scream at me again. Do SOMETHING!)))

Yumin slid a sketch over to Dohoon, "The sketch is here! You haven't drawn in ages, think you can handle it?" He went back to painting, not looking at Dohoon, "Well.. You were a fantastic drawer so there won't be any problem. You were way better than me! But if you ruin it you'll have to do all of it" Yumin nervously laughed, "Okay?" 

Dohoon was becoming more and more irritated with every word Yumin said. 

(((Stop acting like nothing is wrong…)))

Without looking up from his work, Yumin continued, "Oh, right! I still have that Mimi sketch that you drew for me! I have it on the wall of my room. Do you remember how we used to tie our hair on the side, pretend that we were Mimi and draw for each other? We kept on laughing, it was so funny! I still laugh thinking about it!"

(((I can’t take this anymore.)))

"It's a pity we don't have the other side-"

Dohoon grabbed Yumin by his shoulders, slamming him into the ground and knocking his glasses off in the process. Dohoon straddled Yumin, holding him down by his shirt and began screaming at the terrified boy, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DO YOU THINK I'M FUNNY?! I RUINED YOUR PICTURE! BUT YOU SMILE ABOUT IT?! YOU KEEP BEING NICE TO ME?! JUST PUNCH ME IN THE FACE, GOD DAMNIT! STOP SCREWING WITH ME!"

Yumin blankly stared up at him and replied, "You didn't do it."

"..What?" 

"This.. I know it's not you who ruined it. I know you didn't give orders to do it either."

Dohoon grabbed the front of Yumin’s shirt tighter, "HOW DO YOU KNOW I DIDN'T DO IT?!" 

Not phased at all Yumin spoke again, “Ruining pictures, you know better than anybody... Losing a precious thing.. How hard it is... How painful it is..." Yumin managed to sit up before continuing, "You know best, right?"

Tears started to form in the corners of Dohoon's eyes, "You.. What are you! After the day I denied you I completely ignored you and we started falling apart. I loved comics like you did but I was ashamed of you for not hiding it. I wanted to draw too, but I was ashamed of it. I was bothered by what other people might think and I was afraid that it might change the way people look at me. So despite my love for comics, I so easily let it go. But the anxiety that I thought would disappear if I abandoned you grew inside me. And the domain of others started nibbling me away. Just like that, while I was suffering from pain and despair, you continued to do things I was unable to. So I treated you badly for no reason. I wanted to make you hate comics. I wanted to make you like me. I was that selfish. I made a mess of you and harassed you. That's what I did... But right now you... like the old days are smiling in front of me." Tears dripped down his face.

Dohoon felt a hand grab his. 

"Dohoon, Stop torturing yourself. Just do what you want to do. You can do what you like! Let's draw again together! What do you say?" Yumin, with tears in his own eyes, pleaded.

Dohoon lost it and started to sob; crying the tears he had held in for so long, "Just, how stupid are you?!" Dohoon's head fell, too ashamed to look Yumin in the eyes. He felt so pathetic crying in front of Yumin when he had no right to be upset. This was all his fault.

Dohoon felt a hand gently touch his cheek and lips touch his forehead; Yumin was kissing him. Dohoon pulled him in for a hug, crying into his shoulder, "I love you. Yumin, I love you. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, please."

"I know and I do."

"I love you so much it hurts."

"I know, Dohoon."

"You don’t know! How could you know after everything i’ve done? Let me fix this; let me make it up to you, give me a chance."

"Of course."

"I love you Yumin, I always have. These past four years have been Hell without you, without us. I'll change, i'll go back to who I was, who I really am. I'm so miserable like this, having to pretend i'm someone i'm not. I can’t do this anymore it’s killing me."

"It's ok, I love you too, Dohoon-"

Dohoon released his hold on Yumin to look him straight in the eyes, "Do you mean that? You love me? Don't say it if you don't mean it, i'll understand-"

He was cut off by a kiss on the lips. 

Yumin took a hold of Dohoon’s face, "Dohoon, i've been dreaming of hearing you say those words for years. I love you, I always have. That's why i’ve never been able to hate you."

Dohoon softly smiled, "Thank you."

"Now help me fix this painting." Yumin said as he handed Dohoon a paint brush.

“Gladly.”


	2. "I like the idea of calling you my boyfriend even better."

Together they were able to restore the painting and since Dohoon never gave up drawing, just practicing in secret, it turned out better than before. The cultural festival was a success and things seemed to be looking up for Yumin. Dohoon, for the most part, left the broadcasting club, only attending meetings when absolutely necessary, and joined the comic club. Yumin still got pushed around every once in awhile but Dohoon was always there to pick him up.

The next few weeks were spent slowly rebuilding their relationship; doing little things like walking to class together or eating lunch with each other. They weren’t exactly sure how to define their relationship. Even though they acted like a couple they weren’t officially dating. It was a mix of platonic and romantic love that neither knew how to describe. Labeling it wasn’t important though, they were just happy being together.

\---

"Dohoon, what are you doing after school?" Yumin asked as the two sat down to have lunch.

"Nothing, the broadcasting department doesn’t need me today; not much to do since the cultural festival. Why?" Dohoon said, opening a can of soda.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to walk home together like we used to." Yumin blushed nervously.

Dohoon smiled, "I'd like that a lot" and took a sip of his drink.

"Also... would you like to stay for dinner?"

Caught off guard by the question Dohoon choked on his soda, causing him to cough for a few seconds, "Uh, i'd-"

Yumin waved his hands in front of him, "I'm sorry! I don't want to rush things! I know it’s been a long time and you haven’t been over in years so you might be nervous! Forget I said-" 

Dohoon grabbed Yumin's hands, shutting him up, "Yumin, I would love to." He replied, voice hoarse from coughing so hard. 

Yumin smiled with excitement, "Ok great! I'll meet you out front when school ends!"

 

\-----

 

The walk from school to their neighborhood was short and familiar. 

"It's been pretty lonely walking all by myself, ya know." Yumin said as he playfully bumped into Dohoon.

Dohoon smiled fondly and took a hold of Yumin's hand, lacing their fingers together, "I guess i’ll have to change that from now on, won’t I?"

Dohoon pretended not to notice Yumin blushing. 

\-----

 

As they approached Yumin's house Dohoon stopped and stared. 

"Dohoon, what's wrong? If you're having second thoughts that's fine! Walking home together was a big step for us!" Yumin frantically said. 

"No, no it's not that... It's just... You have no idea how many times I've stopped in front of your house these past four years. Looking up at your bedroom window wondering what you're doing. If you're reading comics or watching anime. How many times I had to stop myself from breaking in, running up to your room, and getting down on my hands and knees to apologize for everything i've done. But I never did, I was too scared. So instead i'd stand here, stare for a few minutes, and be on my way. Pretty pathetic, right?" Dohoon looked at Yumin only to see tears running down his cheeks. "Woah, Yumin i'm sorry!! I didn't mean to make you cry I-"

"No, i'm fine! That was such a sad story! A little creepy, but mostly sad! Dohoon it's ok now; we're together again! You can't change keep dwelling on the past." Yumin said, using the back of his hand to wipe away the tears.

Dohoon chuckled and kissed Yumin's forehead, "I guess you're right. Let’s hurry up, i'm hungry."

 

When they reached the front door Dohoon pulled on Yumin's sleeve, stopping him from opening it. "Yumin, does your mom know about everything that's happened between us? Everything i've done?"

Yumin took a few seconds to think about how to phrase the answer before responding, "She knows what initially happened, that's about it; i've never gone into too much detail. I guess she thinks that we just went our separate ways and haven't talked since... but she doesn't know about the bullying if that’s what you’re wondering."

Dohoon looked away, "Then will she even want to see me again? Doesn't she-"

"Hate you? No, she doesn't. I don't think she could to be honest. She's always loved you like another son." Yumin grabbed Dohoon's hand, looking into his eyes, "Relax, it'll be fine." He opened the door and stepped inside calling out, "Mom, i'm home! And I brought a friend with me, I hope that's ok!"

Dohoon leaned down to whisper in Yumin's ear, "You didn't even ask her first?"

Yumin brushed him off replying, "Hush, it's a surprise."

A sweet voice came from the kitchen, "Hi, honey! Of course it's ok! You never bring anyone around anymore! Is it a friend from the comic club?"

Yumin looked at Dohoon and smiled, "Nope! It's someone you haven't seen in a very long time!"

There were a few seconds of quiet, "Is it-?" Yumin's mom said as she walked out of the kitchen, stunned by who she saw. 

"It is! Little Dohoon!" She ran to hug Dohoon, nearly tackling him to the ground. "I've missed you so much! Look at you! You're all grown up! Look how tall and handsome you are; you must be very popular with the ladies! My goodness! This is a sight for sore eyes, seeing you two together again." She pulled both boys in for a hug then stepped back to look at the two standing side-by-side, "I could cry right now, i'm so happy!" She turned to Yumin, "Yumin, make Dohoon feel at home while i'll get back to cooking" and ran back into the kitchen.

The boys took their shoes off, set their school bags down, and went to sit at the kitchen table so they could catch up while dinner was cooking.

\-----

It was dark out by the time they finished eating (mostly talking) and cleaning up. 

"Hey, Dohoon," Yumin said, "it's getting late, do you have to head home soon?"

Before Dohoon could answer, Yumin's mom interjected, "There's no school tomorrow right? Dohoon should stay the night!" Turning to Dohoon she asked, "Would your mom be ok with that?"

Dohoon thought about it for a moment, "I don't see why not. But I don't want to impose or overstay my welcome."

She lit up with a smile, "Nonsense! It's been too long since you've been here! Stay as long as you'd like!" She turned to Yumin, "I'm working the night shift so I won't be home till tomorrow afternoon. Dohoon can sleep in my bed if he wants! Or you two could share a bed like you used to! You have a bigger bed now so you'd both fit! Anyways, go upstairs and tidy up for him will you?"

"Sure, i’ll be right back!" Yumin said, walking away.

Once he was gone, Yumin's mom turned to Dohoon. "Dohoon, thank you so much for being here. I hate that I have to leave him alone so much but it can't be helped when you're a nurse." She sighed and continued, "Yumin isn't the same as he once was. He told me about what happened between you two a few years ago but since then he keeps things bottled up, rarely opening up to me. I can see he's hurting but I don't feel like there's anything I can do to make it better. I can help people at the hospital but I can't even help my own son. He looks so lonely and defeated when he comes home from school... it's all I can do not to cry when I see him." She took Dohoon’s hands in hers, "Dohoon, I know that there's more to the story than what he's told me and I know it involves you somehow. You broke his heart four years ago and I won't lie, a small part of me wants to slap you in the face for what you've done. But tonight was the first time i've seen him genuinely smile in God knows how long. His eyes lit up like he was a little kid again because of you. I'm not going to force you to confess your sins, and i'm not going to yell at you for how you’ve treated Yumin. If he wanted me to know what was going on he would have told me. But he didn't so i'm going to respect that; i'm sure he didn't want me to ever think badly of you. So promise me that moving forward you'll bring nothing but happiness into his life."

Dohoon shook his head in agreement, "I will, I promise i'll do my best, for both you and Yumin... i've done some awful things to him and i've been a terrible person. From now on i'll make sure you never have to see Yumin hurt again, i'm going to make up for my mistakes. I can't change what I did but I promise that i'll never hurt him ever again."

She gave him a small nod, "No one who made my son smile like you did tonight is a terrible person. Thank you, Dohoon." She got up and ruffled his hair a bit before grabbing her purse and keys and walking to the door. She turned back to Dohoon, "One last thing, keep our little chat just between us, I don't want Yumin to get mad at me. Also, if you two are going to do anything while i'm gone make sure to be safe. Tell Yumin I said 'bye'!" She gave him a wink and walked out the door leaving him embarrassed and speechless.

(((Was our flirting that obvious??)))

 

\---D---

Dohoon's heart began to race when he realized the situation.

(((It's just me and Yumin, alone. No need to freak out. Sure it’s been a long time but there’s no reason to be so nervous… I gotta be cool and relax.)))

"Alright, the upstairs looks decent enough." Yumin said as he walked down the steps and into the kitchen, "So, what do you want to do? Watch a movie or something? Maybe a video game?"

Dohoon felt a little embarrassed asking, "Well, it's been awhile since we read comics together. Could we do that first? Are they still in your room?"

Yumin became nervous, obviously uncomfortable with the suggestion, "Yeah, they are, uh.. which one would you like to read? I can grab it and bring it down."

"Well can I go look? You practically have your own library. It would be easier for me to pick one." Dohoon said as he got up and walked towards the stairs.

Yumin rushed ahead, stopping him from going any further, "My room's a mess honestly, you can hardly walk in there it's so bad!"

He looked desperate.

"Yumin, I know that's a lie. You've always kept your room spotless. You'd scold me more than my mom did for having a messy room! It's fine." Dohoon said, slipping past Yumin and walking to the bedroom.

"Dohoon, i'm serious it's a mess!" Yumin tried to grab ahold of Dohoon before he could reach the door but he wasn't fast enough.

Dohoon stood in the doorway, shocked by what he saw. 

(((It's practically empty, where is everything??))) 

Boxes were piled on the ground and posters were gently rolled up and resting on top of a desk. All the manga, the figures, pictures, and collectables that Yumin had once decorated his room with were gone. The only things left on the wall was a calendar and the picture Dohoon had drawn of Yumin as Mimi. 

(((At least he didn’t take that down.)))

 

Dohoon slowly walked over to a pile of boxes, opening one and finding it full of comics, "Yumin, please tell me you're painting the walls or rearranging furniture or something and not getting rid of all this."

Yumin, standing in the doorway, looked away and quietly said, "I told you it was a mess. Let's go watch some tv instead.”

Dohoon stood up and calmly walked over to Yumin, careful not to scare him. Even though he isn’t rough with him anymore, Yumin still flinches from time to time. Taking hold of Yumin's hand, he sat down on the bed, tugging at Yumin to do the same. "Why did you pack everything away? When did you do this?". 

Yumin took a deep breath, "I started a few months ago. Everyday I'd take a little down at a time." Yumin clenched his fists in an attempt to fight back his tears, "I just... I couldn't keep coming home to a room that was a reminder of how stupid I am. The very things I loved were the cause of all my pain. I thought that if I didn't have to look at it constantly I could escape some of that pain."

(((Look what i've done…)))

Yumin hesitated, "But I took a good majority of it down in one night..."

"What happened? What day?" Dohoon asked even though he was pretty sure of the answer.

(((The day your painting was destroyed.)))

"When my painting had been destroyed I couldn't take it anymore. I had worked so hard on it so it but it was all for nothing, it was just a stupid painting for decoration. It had no real use or purpose, no one would want to see it anyways. I thought the same things about what I had in my room. The figures were just to look at, the posters were just decorative; they have no real purpose. No one ever sees them anyways because I don't have friends over much. When I looked at my room all that went through my head were the words written on the painting: 'Die' 'Get lost' 'Piss off'." Yumin couldn’t hold back his tears anymore and started to cry, "So I put it all away. Out of sight out of mind. I've been meaning to start putting things up again since we're back together but for some reason I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it... But i'm not getting rid of anything, don’t worry."

Dohoon was at a loss for words. He placed both his hands on the sides of Yumin's head and pulled him in for a kiss; and then another, and another, and another all over his face. A kiss for each time he had hurt Yumin. In between each kiss he whispered, "i'm sorry" over and over again, and at some point "I'm sorry" turned into "I love you".

Yumin couldn't help but cry even harder.

When Dohoon stopped all he could do was stare at the boy he had hurt so badly. No amount of kisses could fix what he had broke. "Don't believe those words, Yumin. They're lies, all lies. Don't ever think of them again." Dohoon pressed another kiss to Yumin's forehead before getting up and walking to the door, "Wait here, I want to show you something. I'll be right back." He ran down the stairs, grabbed his bag, and ran back up quicker than what was necessary.

"You didn't have to run, i'm not going anywhere. This is my house after all." Yumin chuckled at how out of breath Dohoon was, “That's what you get for smoking...” 

 

"Yeah, yeah I know." Dohoon searched through his bag and pulled out three things: a pencil case, a set of keys, and a book. "I never got rid of my comic stuff. I pretending like I was going to throw it out but I didn’t actually do it. I still have the figures, comics, and a few of the pictures hidden under my bed. I didn't put everything away though, here are some things I still use." Dohoon placed the objects in Yumin's lap and watched as the boy examined them.

"A pencil case?"

"Open it up, idiot."

Yumin stuck his tongue out and looked inside, "Oh my God! Is this the Mimi eraser I gave you? You actually use it!?"

"I was crying because I had lost mine so you gave me yours, remember? And I only use it when i’m drawing."

Yumin set aside the pencil case and grabbed the keys, "The matching Mimi keychain we got each other!"

"You still have yours on your school bag, right?"

"I never take it off! How did you manage to hide this?"

"Those are a spare set of house keys I rarely use. I keep them in a small pocket of my bag so no one can but me can find them."

"That's adorable."

"Whatever, just hurry up with the last thing."

Yumin lightly tossed the keys at Dohoon and picked up the book.

"I don't recognize the book."

"Open the book and look at the bookmark."

Yumin's eyes got wide when he saw it, "I totally forgot about this! This was the bookmark I made for you after you got in trouble for bending the corner of your textbook!"

"That is still such a dumb thing to get yelled at about..." 

Yumin handed the book back to Dohoon, "Why are you showing me these?"

"Because I want you to see how much all of this still means to me; how much it means to us. I'm not going to be ashamed of what I like anymore. I like comics, I like anime, I like drawing, and I love Mimi. At bookstores I would browse the comic section, touching the books, wanting so badly to get one and read it with you. Pretending to hate all of it was so painful and I never want to feel that pain again. I'm an otaku, I always have been and there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with what we like. Do you understand that, Yumin?"

Yumin nodded, feeling a little better.

Dohoon gave him a soft smile, "Good. How about I help you unpack a little? I want to look through some comics."

Yumin smiled, "On one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"I get to tie your hair up like Mimi's; like when we were kids." 

Dohoon chuckled and gave him another kiss, "Deal.”

 

\-----

The next few hours were spent going through boxes and reminiscing about when they were younger. They organized the comics alphabetically on the bookcases, argued over which poster should be put on which wall, and put figures back on shelves.

It was just like old times.

 

\---D---

Once they finished decorating they decided to sit on the bed and watch old episodes of Mimi. Yumin, sitting between Dohoon's legs with his back against Dohoon's chest, yawned as another episode ended. 

Noticing how tired Yumin looked, Dohoon shut the laptop, setting it on the nightstand beside him and checked his phone to see what time it was: 3:51 AM, Shit it’s late… "Yumin, It's almost 4, we should probably get some sleep." 

Yumin took his glasses off, placing them on the nightstand as well, and rubbed his eyes, “I guess we stayed up all night, huh? Yeah, let's go to sleep."

Dohoon untangled himself from Yumin and got off the bed, "I'll go ahead and sleep in your mom's room."

Yumin reached, grabbing Dohoon's wrist, "That's such a long way away and it's far too dangerous to walk alone in the dark, monsters could get you."

Dohoon laughed, "It's right across the hall, I think i'll be fine. I can handle a monster or two."

"Hmm, we shouldn't take any chances. My bed has plenty of room for the both of us and it’s safer if we stick together."

(((How can i say no to such a cute face?)))

"My, my, Yumin. If you wanted to sleep with me all you had to do was ask." Dohoon said in a low, but playful voice.

"Not like that, you perv!" Yumin let go of his wrist, "Just get back in the bed before I change my mind and let the monsters eat you."

"You wouldn't dare." Dohoon said as he pulled back the covers, laying next to Yumin face to face.

"See, Dohoon? It's much safer this way, wouldn't you agree?"

Dohoon kissed Yumin's nose and put his arms around the smaller boy, "You're ridiculous. Go to sleep already."

Yumin scooted closer, resting his head under Dohoon's chin and closed his eyes, "I love you, Dohoon."

"Mhmm..."

Within minutes they were sound asleep.

 

\---D---

Dohoon woke up when he felt a weight on his chest. "Mmm, five more minutes." Dohoon said, turning his head to the other side of the pillow.

"It's almost noon, Dohoon, get up already! I made pancakes for breakfast and I know how much you love pancakes." A sweet voice said.

(((Fuck, I do love pancakes)))

Dohoon sighed, "Alright, alright, i'm getting up," opening his eyes to see Yumin straddling him, "I can't get up with you sitting on me, ya know."

Yumin grinned, "I'll move if you ask nicely."

Dohoon smirked, "How about I kiss you instead?" grabbing Yumin and switching their positions.

Yumin blushed under Dohoon, still shy when it came to these types of situations, "I think kisses will work too."

"Good." Dohoon lightly attacked Yumin's face with kisses, causing the boy to giggle.

"Hey that tickles, Dohoon! Plus you're crushing me to death, you giant!"

"My apologies," Dohoon sarcastically replied, getting off the bed and helping Yumin up, "Those pancakes better not be cold or else i'll be forced to attack you like that again."

"If they are it's your fault! You slept in too late!"

\-----

"I had no idea you were such a good cook." Dohoon said as he finished the last pancake on his plate.

"I don't think pouring pancake mix from a bottle and onto a pan counts as cooking, Dohoon."

"Well you've come a long way! Remember when you set the microwave on fire?"

"That wasn't my fault! I l didn’t have glasses yet and I couldn't read the buttons!" 

"It was still pretty funny watching you freak out."

Yumin looked away in embarrassment, "Well since I cooked it's only fair for you to clean up!"

Dohoon stood up and grabbed the plates and silverware off the table, "Fair enough" he said, giving Yumin a kiss as he walked to the sink wish the dishes. 

\---Y---

Yumin sat at the table watching Dohoon clean up.

(((I could watch him all day…)))

"How long are you gonna sit there and stare at me, hm?" Dohoon said, bringing Yumin out of his trance.

Yumin blushed, "I can't help it. You make washing dishes look good!"

Dohoon finished putting everything away and walked towards Yumin, "You know, you making breakfast and me doing the dishes was pretty domesticated."

Yumin rolled his eyes, "I told you pancakes aren't that big of a deal."

"Yes but friends usually don't make friends such an extravagant breakfast."  
Yumin, caught on to what Dohoon was implying, decided to play along, "If you're going to ask me to marry you just so you can have pancakes every morning the answer is no."

Dohoon smirked, "Well in order for us to be married you'd have to be my fiancé first and before you could be my finace you'd have to be my boyfriend." 

"So are you suggesting we should just elope instead?" 

"Who knew someone as cute as you could be such a smartass." Dohoon stood behind Yumin, still sitting at the kitchen table, and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, leaning in close, "What i'm suggesting is that we should be more than friends. What do you think?"

Yumin leaned back, tilting his head up to give Dohoon a kiss, "I think that I want roses at our wedding; but I can settle for being your boyfriend till then."

Dohoon grinned, "Roses, hm? I'm not sure, I kinda like the idea of eloping instead."

"Oh really?"

"But I like the idea of calling you my boyfriend even better."

"I do too."

 

\---D---

"Planning your wedding already? Kids these days sure move fast!" 

Dohoon jumped back and Yumin nearly fell out of his seat, startled by the voice.

"Mom! When did you get here?!" Yumin said, flustered and turning red. Dohoon was no better, turning around from embarrassment.

"You must have been too entranced by Dohoon's charm to her me walk in." She smiled at the two, taking her shoes off and setting her purse on the kitchen counter.

"Mom, I can explain don't be mad-" Yumin said, clearly worried about what his mom would say next.

"Sweetie why would I be mad? You two make a cute couple!"

Yumin was a little surprised, "So you don't mind that I," looking up at Dohoon and then back at her, "like a-"

"A guy? Of course not! Give your mom some more credit than that!"

Dohoon looked back and forth at both of them, (((Wait she didn't know that he's?? Has he not come out yet??))) 

"Yumin i'm your mom. I know you better than you know yourself."

"Wait, so you already knew I was..?"

"I've had my suspicions over the years. After all, you've never talked about a girl let alone look at one." she walked over to Dohoon, placing a hand on his shoulder, "But after I pretended not to notice you two playing footsies during dinner last night, I knew I was right."

Yumin hid his face in his hands, "Mom, i'm begging you to stop, i'm going to die from embarrassment!" 

"Alright, alright i'll stop! Can't have you leaving Dohoon a widower!"

Giggling she kissed the top of Yumin's head then turned back to Dohoon with a stern expression, "You have my blessing to date my son. But be warned, if you break my little boy's heart again I will not spare you, understood?"

Even though she's shorter than Yumin she's 100 times scarier when she's mad. 

"Yes ma'am." Dohoon responded, genuinely intimidated. 

Her face softened and she gave the two boys a smile before walking away, "Now i'm going to go take a nap so if you two start getting frisky, please be quiet-"

"MOM! GO!" 

"Congrats, boys!" She yelled from the top of the stairs before going to her room and shutting the door.

Yumin banged his head on the kitchen table.

After a couple minutes Dohoon finally broke the awkward silence, "I mean, if you want to get frisky I can be pretty quiet."

"That's it, i'm calling the off the wedding."

All Dohoon could do was laugh.

(((It feels good to be happy again.)))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! I hope you enjoyed both chapters. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I spent a week on this so I hope you liked it!


End file.
